Weekend Recap 10-4-21

Oct 4, 2021

Weekend Recap 10-4-21

Minot, ND – The Minotauros and Bobcats renewed their rivalry with a home and home set this weekend with each team emphatically defending their home ice.  The weekend set kicked off in Bismarck with the Cats winning 7-3 and then shifted to Minot for the Tauros home opener for a 5-2 Tauro victory.

On Friday night the Bobcats jumped out to an early lead scoring on the games first shift when Owen Michaels found the back of the net just 36 seconds in.  Huston Karpman answered back for the Tauros 1:25 into the game which signaled it would be an offensive affair.    The Cats would explode for two more goals, giving them three on nine shots and ending Thomas Kiesewetter’s night as Carter Clafton took over between the pipes.

The Tauros attempts at coming back however were foiled, a dominant second period which saw the Tauros get Zack Simon’s second of the season and pull within a 3-2 margin was undone by a questionable penalty call and power play goal for the Cats late in the period sending the Tauros down 4-2 heading int the third.  Another early strike from the Cats pushed it to 5-2 before Karpman got his second of the game but with the Tauros pressing up ice the Cats got two more to put the game away.

On Saturday night the series shifted to Minot’s Pepsi Rink at Maysa Arena.   The Tauro faithful packed the house with 1,841 in attendance and they did not have to wait long to erupt.  Dean Schwenninger got behind the Bobcats for an early breakaway off of a nice chip by Simon and solved Erik Forss just 1:19 into the game.  Karpman scored a hardworking goal in the middle of the period getting three whacks at the puck while out-muscling the Bobcat defense.  UND commit Jaksen Panzer added the Tauros’ third of the opening period with just seven seconds left in the frame.   The second period belonged to the Tauros as well as Mason Campbell and Karpman would each score to extend the lead to 5-0 while the Tauros outshot the Cats 30-14 through 40 minutes. The Cats would push back in the third with Eddie Shepler and Patrick Johnson getting goals to ruin Clafton’s shutout bid but overall the Tauros cruised to victory.

Next up for the men from Minot is a visit from the North Iowa Bulls on Friday and Saturday nights.  The newest member of the NAHL Central Division sits in first place after moving to Mason City, Iowa, from Amarillo, Texas, during the off-season.  Tickets for the weekend set are available through the “Tickets” tab atop this page or by clicking here.